Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 377
(b) maintaining clear and open communication betweem
customers and restaurant staff; (c) asking a lot of questions;
(d) listening for cue words that may imply food allergies;
and (e) being willing to listen.
Few training guidelines focusing on food allergy risk
management for restaurateurs are available (25). Our
findings were consistent with results of previous research, as
very few restaurant managers had provided training focusing on proper communication between the front-of-house
and back-of-house staff, or restaurant staff and customers
with food allergies (22). For those managers who included
topics related to communication (n = 3) in employee training, most taught their servers to pass allergen-free requests
to managers rather than empowering their servers to make
proactive decisions. This is concerning, because improper
communication between and among restaurant staff and
customers with food allergies is recognized as one of the
major causes of food allergy reactions in restaurants (16, 20,
23). Merely handing over responsibility to the manager may
not properly prepare employees to handle these situations.
In addition, most restaurants trained employees about
food allergies on a "one-time basis" (e.g., initial orientation) or "every once in a while." Frequent training may be
needed, considering the increasing number of customers
with food allergies, the variety of food allergens, and
high employee turnover in the restaurant industry. Even
though food allergy risks cannot be completely eliminated
(18), reducing them may be attainable through training
that focuses on risk management. Identifying the current
status of food allergy risk perception and communication
behaviors of restaurant staff may be an important first step
in establishing training protocols.
Food allergy risk perceptions
Most participants (n = 10) were aware of the prevalence
of food allergies in the U.S., and one participant indicated
that "it seems like every day, more and more people are telling us
that they have an allergy when they come in to the restaurant."
Some managers (n = 5) were confident of preventing
food allergy reactions in their operations because of
"the procedures that we have in place" and the fact that
food is prepared in a "from-scratch kitchen."
Participants presented different opinions about
whether serving customers with food allergies was a
significant concern in their operations. About half (n =
7) of participants viewed them as a significant concern,
particularly because of the severity of allergic reactions.
Participants recognized that it is their responsibility to
serve food that is safe for customers with food allergies.
One participant stated that it was the "establishment's
liability to ensure that the need is met," and another stated
that "It's our responsibility to not only feed people but feed
them a dish that is safe." Even though it was difficult for
participants to guarantee allergen-free service because
of potential cross-contacts, one participant stated that
"[we] would do our best to accommodate their needs." These
findings were consistent with previous research findings on
restaurateurs' perceptions regarding risks of facilitating and
accommodating customers with food allergies (1).
Participants also expressed their perceptions regarding
specific food allergy risks in their restaurants (Table 4).
Previous research has indicated that customers with
food allergies perceived the potential for cross-contact in
food preparation areas as one of the major causes of food
allergy reactions in restaurants (20). Further, about 22%
of reported peanut and/or tree nut allergen exposures in
commercial foodservice operations were due to crosscontacts from shared cooking equipment or service
supplies (16). A majority of participants (n = 9) indicated
that potential cross-contact was a significant risk when
preparing allergen-free orders. In the kitchen cross-contacts
can happen easily, "from something as simple as a cook grilling
a piece of fish on a grill and then going to cook a steak for a
guest with a fish allergy on the same grill."
Participants also identified human errors as one of the
contributing factors in potential food allergy reactions.
One manager stated, "there is always a risk because a simple
mistake can turn into a serious problem" but "we are all
humans, we all make mistakes, but it can be life threatening
to a person and even severe neglect can cause legal action."
Human errors identified by our participants were improper
washing of utensils (e.g., "a knife accidentally touches
something and there is the assumption that it was washed
properly") and cross-contacts from allergenic food (e.g.,
"there is always a risk of some kind of food cross-contamination
[cross-contact] that happens in the back that no one has ever
seen before or wasn't aware of."
Risk communication scholars admit that zero risk is
not realistic or attainable when managing food allergy
risks in foodservice establishments (18, 24). Some
participants (n = 4) recognized the fact that human
errors could lead to serious accidents, and therefore,
food allergy risk communication training in restaurants
may be needed to minimize these possibilities while
serving customers with food allergies.
Even though hidden ingredients constitute a relatively
well-acknowledged food allergy risk, only one participant recognized them as a risk factor. If service staff is
not aware of hidden ingredients, they may give a false
sense of security to customers with food allergies. Nearly
50% of reported peanut and tree nut food allergy reactions in the U.S. were caused by hidden food allergens
in sauces, dressings, and complex food items such as egg
rolls (16).
Food allergy risk communication
Customers with food allergies perceived miscommunication as one of the major causes of food allergy reactions in
September/October Food Protection Trends
377
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016
Contents
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - Cover1
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - Cover2
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - Contents
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 342
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 343
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 344
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 345
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 346
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 347
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 348
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 349
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 350
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 351
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 352
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 353
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 354
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 355
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 356
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 357
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 358
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 359
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 360
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 361
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 362
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 363
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 364
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 365
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 366
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 367
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 368
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 369
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 370
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 371
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 372
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 373
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 374
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 375
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 376
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 377
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 378
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 379
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 380
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 381
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 382
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 383
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 384
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 385
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 386
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 387
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 388
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 389
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 390
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 391
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 392
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 393
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 394
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 395
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 396
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 397
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 398
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 399
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 400
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 401
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 402
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 403
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 404
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - Cover3
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - Cover4
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